Xiangsheng

Xiangsheng (simplified Chinese: 相声; traditional Chinese: 相聲; pinyin: xiàngsheng), sometimes translated as crosstalk, is a traditional Chinese comedic performance in the form of a dialogue between two performers, or, much less often, a solo monologue or, even less frequently, a multi-player talk show. The language, rich in puns and allusions, is delivered in a rapid, bantering style. Xiangsheng is one of China's foremost and most popular performing arts, and is typically performed in the Tianjin dialect (or in Standard Chinese with a strong Northern Chinese accent).

Canadian xiangsheng comedian Dashan (Mark Rowswell) says the closest equivalent in English would be Abbott and Costello's "Who's on First?" sketch.

Format

Modern xiangsheng is made up of four skills - speaking (說), imitating (學), teasing (逗), and singing (唱).

History

The term "xiangsheng" (written 相声 or 相聲) originally referred to the act of imitating someone's speech and actions.^{[citation needed]} It rose as a performing act during the Ming Dynasty. From the Qing Dynasty to the 1920s, xiangsheng gradually developed to become a style of comedic monologue. Later xiangsheng came to be performed as a dialogue and sometimes even in groups of three or more.

The earliest xiangsheng comedian known by name is Zhang Sanlu (張三祿), who performed in the mid nineteenth century.

After the widespread use of Mandarin from 1949, the popularity of xiangsheng increased throughout the People's Republic of China. It is a standard feature of CCTV's annual New Year's Gala and other popular performing arts shows in China.

To appeal to younger audiences, animators have created animated versions of various skits using audio from past broadcasts. The animated versions uses humor in a literal sense.

Xiangsheng as social commentary

The small scale and popularity of xiangsheng makes it second only to word of mouth in reflecting popular concerns. Hou Baolin and others have said that xiangsheng items are "works of comic nature which use satire and humour as their principal base. Their satirical content strikes home at contemporary malpractices and also often includes political satire." The role of xiangsheng in social commentary was seen after the fall of the Gang of Four in 1976, when xiangsheng performances provided the first open criticisms of the gang. After 1976, xiangsheng has also provided satire concerning corrupt officials and members of the Communist Party of China, although criticism of the Party as an entity remains off limits.

Famous xiangsheng actors

• Hou Baolin
• Ma Sanli
• Liu Baorui
• Ma Ji
• Jiang Kun
• Hou Yaowen
• Ding Guang Quan (丁广泉）
• Dashan
• Feng Gong
• Guo Degang
• Yu Qian
• Fong Yigan
• Zun Shaochin

See also

• Manzai
• Rakugo
• Shuochang
• Kouji
• Comedians Workshop
• Performance Workshop

External links

• Chinese Xiangsheng Collections 中华笑海 (Simplified Chinese)
• Chinese Xiangsheng Web 中国相声网 (Simplified Chinese)
• Comedians Workshop 相聲瓦舍 (Traditional Chinese)